Static
by Seoinage
Summary: With Soul Society gearing up, the leaders of Eighth Division must also do their parts. Spoilers up through manga chapter 188. Shunsui x Nanao. COMPLETE.


**Title:** Static  
**Author:** Seoinage  
**Series:** Bleach  
**Pairing:** Shunsui/Nanao  
**Genre**: Drama / Romance / Angst  
**Rating:** T  
**Spoilers:** Up through manga chapter 188  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach © Kubo Taite and the various companies who have rights to it.

**Dedication:** This was written in thanks to Kaz-taichou (biteme65 at LJ dot com) who makes mere mortals weep at her Photoshop skills.

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_**Static**_

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He swept into the meeting room with his usual dramatic flourish, the wide-brimmed woven hat adding to the cultivated mystery he loved to portray. Brown eyes levelly met the gazes of his fellow division captains in greeting, no words exchanged. Kyouraku Shunsui, Captain of the Eighth Division, took up his spot and kept his own counsel. Though he had an idea as to why the messenger had delivered a request to attend this abruptly called meeting, a request the other captains had also received, it never hurt to listen first and then speak later.

All attention went to the front of the room as Yamamoto-taichou entered and faced the group to address them, his flowing physical appearance echoing the enormity of his spiritual strength. Gnarled hands gripped his walking stick firmly even as he commanded, "Let's begin the Captain's Meeting!"

The doors to the room groaned closed with those words until the assembled group was hidden from view.

Hours later, after much discussion and planning, the captains dispersed to their various destinations, each carrying with them plans and strategies that they would need to impart upon their vice captains and divisions. Too much rode upon their victory; losing could not be contemplated.

Silently, a shadow not his own attached itself to him a few feet behind as he strode down the hallway, the edges of his colorful mantel flaring behind him. Together, captain and vice captain made their way to his office where privacy could be assured, sake could flow and the weight of her regard keep him warm.

He stepped through first and Nanao shut the door behind them, the lit lamps casting long shadows in the otherwise unoccupied room. He watched her walk past him, immaculately dressed in her vice captain uniform, and noticed her immediate focus on business. With elegant precision, she sat upon the chair in front of his desk and opened her notebook upon her knee, ready to take notes. "Kyoraku-taichou, if you'll tell me what the meeting–"

"Nanao-chan!" Casting aside his hat to reveal his sparkling brown eyes flashing their megawatt appeal, Shunsui swept to her side and leaned down towards her like an irrepressible storm to cradle her hands in between his own larger ones. "Let's not talk about boring old business now when our privacy is assured," he lightly cajoled, even as the directives of the meeting hummed mutedly in the back of his brain. "Now we can enjoy each other as we were meant to!" Sparkles and hearts, perfected through many years of practice, were directed at its lovely, and only, target. As expected, the usually composed female tried to avoid the attack by leaning away as much as possible, though trapped by the man in front and the chair in back. This part of their never ending dance was also perfected.

Some emotion – annoyance? familiarity? amusement? – glimmered behind her glasses, seen only by one who knew to look.

"Kyouraku-taichou. Let go of me." Her composed words were cool, as cool as the hands that were warming rapidly to his touch even as they tried to wiggle away without _seeming_ to wiggle away, something he delighted in - the first part of the second fact, not the second part of the second fact or the first fact or last fact, of course - and showed by the increasing intensity of his adoring gaze and fluttering eyelashes to match. _How I love to tease you, _"Oh, my Nanao-cha–"

"_Kyouraku-taichou."_ The very cool and precise verbal slap hissed out between gritted teeth and was followed by the freeing of her hands, one of which automatically wound back only to come forward to slap him with unerring aim. "Collect yourself! I am _not_ your Nanao-chan."

The controlled strength of her smack against his jaw whipped his head around and he stumbled back, his own hands coming up to nurse the injury protectively, looking for all the world like a whipped puppy that did not know what it had done wrong to deserve such cruel treatment.

"N-Nanao-chan?" He snuffled, teary-eyed and trembling.

She fixed a stern and unwavering gaze on him, her back once again in perfect posture with his retreat. "We have much to do, do we not?"

Sniffling again and making a big deal of wiping his eyes, Shunsui dutifully replied, "Yes, Nanao-chan." With a sad and wistful pout, the captain had no choice but to break out the sake and settle down to work, instead of love. Not that he had expected otherwise. She was, after all, his Nanao.

The vice captain, used to his ways, only rolled her eyes and picked her notebook up off the floor, after which she found her pen underneath her chair. Straightening up and catching his gaze transfixed upon her bosom, the put upon female ground her teeth. "_Work_, Taichou. We have much to do." Heaving a soundless sigh, she focused on their goal, no longer feeling the nervousness that hadtingleddown her spine before sitting down in the chair.

The night would be long. They were going to war against the deserters and hollows after all.

Many similarly long nights passed, not just amongst the Eighth Division as they prepared, but throughout Seireitei as well. A sense of urgency and grim determination could be palatably felt, driving them on. More meetings were held, more strategies discussed, each division carrying out their own orders trying to meet the agreed upon deadline. A deadline once reached that would mean the unleashing of the battle between shinigami and hollow.

Tonight they toed the deadline, allowing lovers to enjoy one last night and strategists one last meeting.

When tomorrow unveiled its face, so too would the strength of the shinigami be set free.

He heard the sound of the opening and closing door, and then felt the familiar and welcomed presence behind him. The fading sun streaked its burning reds and passionate oranges across the sky in preparation for night. Shunsui closed his eyes as he savored the moment, the words quietly freed upon the wind. "Be indomitable –"

"...O my heart." The crisp yet feminine voice finished the line, a bit of irony tangled up in the delivery. One pale hand came up to readjust her glasses to sit a bit more firmly. "Feeling poetic tonight, Taichou? Or is it just that you will be asking for a refill of your sake shortly?"

Lips quirking, the poet emptied the last of his sake from the container into his cup. Holding the sparkling clear liquor up for his perusal, Shunsui murmured, "Tomorrow will come soon enough. We've planned enough and it's time to enjoy the pleasures we have." Tipping the cup and tasting the refreshing smoothness of the sake pass over his tongue, he patted his lap even as he asked (with the right amount of hopeful pleading that always got to her), "Why don't you come sit in my lap and we can enjoy this together?"

Nanao sniffed delicately, head turning away slightly in refusal. Though Shunsui couldn't see her, he had no problem envisioning her movements in his mind, as familiar to him as his own reaction to her. So he accepted her rebuff, as he always did, and asked another question in its stead. "Have I ever let you down, Nanao-chan?"

"Don't call me that," she automatically corrected, yet again in another long line of corrections. "And no," she paused, thinking, a slightly pensive look gracing her normally composed features even as she faced his question head on as was her wont. "I guess you haven't."

Turning around, he looked at his vice captain with heavy lidded eyes, lingering upon the pursed lips that eluded him. "Exactly, my dear Nanao-chan."

"_Exactly." _

Softly, tenderly, caressingly, he uttered that word again, the memory of that last quiet moment alone with her fading away. Even with the passing of that whisper soft moment, clarity of vision didn't return as his gaze was shuttered by the pain of all the wounds he had sustained over the course of the long war, and his eyes were covered by the blood that ran down his brow and painted his cheeks red. Still, he saw her hovering over him, heard her screaming for Unohana, for anyone from the Fourth Division to _Come, please come! Kyouraku-taichou is down!_

He felt her slim yet strong frame cradle him and smelled the blood and sweat that overlaid her own unique signature scent that had always played havoc with his senses. Understood that perhaps this time, _this time_, he had gone too far and drunk too much.

And so he once again reached his hand to cup her face, once again brought her startled yet glassy eyes to lock upon his own, and once again serenaded her with, "Be indomitable, o my heart…My sweet Nanao-chan."

Then, for the first time, he felt the hot sensation, one precious drop at a time, of her tears bathing the blood away from his face, wrenching his battered heart so such that the soothing words fell from his parched lips in an attempt to console her. "Shh…Don't cry, my Nanao…", he coughed hoarsely, chest rising and falling with strained effort. "I'll be al-alright in a bit, and so will you…I'll make sure." Blinking with effort, he slowly stroked her cheek, feeling the graceful arch under the smooth skin. "Trust me, Nanao-chan, I won't let you down."

"Kyouraku-taichou…" Breaking yet wanting to hope, wanting to _believe_ him, she allowed him the liberty of addressing her without the normal repartee in kind, because this was not their normal situation, nor something she ever wanted to perfect with him. Instead, she graced him with a seldom seen smile through the tears, whispering, "I know you won't let me down. You never have."

A touch of a smile, as much as he could muster, curved his own lips in response. "Exactly, Nanao-chan."

_"Exactly."_

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_Be indomitable, o my heart._  
_And let the days of August_  
_Give succor unto forever._

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_**Author Note: **Static_ was entered into the August 1st writing theme for _31 days_, a LiveJournal fic community. The theme of the day: Be indomitable, o my heart. If you can, go check out that great community! 

If you're wondering, yes, I wrote the other two lines of the poem I endedwithas I wantedto tie the fic in with the theme,31 Day's(former) premise of only operating in August, and the current events in the Bleach manga. :)

Constructive comments and critiques are welcomed and adored.


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